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scoobyses · Jul 24, 2010, 07:28 PM

Hi, I recently haven't ate for about five days now and I noticed that my lower abdominal area is smaller than when I was eating. Does this make it a possibility that I could have IBS?

I don't want to hear things about eating, I just want to know what the possibility of having IBS is.

J_9 · Jul 25, 2010, 12:09 AM

Not eating for 5 days has little to do with IBS.

What other symptoms are you having that might make you think you have IBS. Do you have severe pain? Diarrhea?

Alty · Jul 25, 2010, 12:28 AM

If you haven't eaten in 5 days of course your lower abdomen could be smaller.

Here's a site explaining IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

scoobyses · Jul 25, 2010, 05:02 AM

When I was eating I was never hungry and it is the same now that I am not eating. Large meals and stress effect it and I did have a lot of stress every time I ate something, so maybe it is getting better due to not eating but will it get worse again if I did eat?

J_9 · Jul 25, 2010, 06:31 AM

Plain and simple, if you don't eat, you will die.

IBS won't kill you.

Were you actually diagnosed with IBS or are you diagnosing yourself?

DoulaLC · Jul 25, 2010, 07:16 AM

Originally Posted by scoobyses

When I was eating I was never hungry and it is the same now that I am not eating. Large meals and stress effect it and I did have a lot of stress every time I ate something, so maybe it is getting better due to not eating but will it get worse again if I did eat?

Large meals and stress can cause stomach upset, but that is not the same thing as IBS. Have you tried reducing your stress... perhaps through regular daily exercise, and eating smaller meals? The choice of foods can be an issue as well... too much dairy, which stays in your system for awhile and too much caffeine for example can cause distress for some people.

Alty · Jul 25, 2010, 12:08 PM

I have IBS, and although it's not a fun thing to live with, there are things you can do to lower the effects that it has on your body.

One thing is choice of food, size of meals, amount of fluid intake, etc. etc. There are also medications that help.

You really need to talk to your doctor. Diagnosing yourself is not a good idea, and not eating is even worse. You're not doing yourself any good.

See your doctor, tell him/her the symptoms you're experiencing. He/she will run some tests and get to the bottom of this. If it is IBS, the good news is that it's not life threatening, just very annoying, but it can be controlled to some extent. You can lead a very normal life. :)